Now is the time we’ve all been waiting for. As I sit here in a small corner bar in Portland, OR listening to one of my best friends play a ridiculous jazz guitar medley that would make you cringe it’s so good, let’s consider what lies ahead in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

Now that the pain and misery of the NBA regular season is behind us, we can now focus on what the players have referred to as “what really counts.” We’ve watched great play, we’ve watched half-hearted play, we’ve watched absolutely brilliant play, and we’ve also witnessed a home loss to the Bobcats. So, what are we left with? Absolutely no definitive sense of what we can expect from this team in the weeks to come…that’s what.

For me, it has boiled down to this:

How long before this team self destructs from all their regular season bad habits and begins fingering anyone and everyone in the organization for their lack of performance?

How long before someone realizes that give up massive amounts of easy lay-ups and high percentage shots to your opponent is not the safest road to the NBA title?

How long before this team realizes that thinking you can “3-point” your way back from a large deficit is only going to make matters worse?

How long before the practice of double and, on occasion, triple teaming players who have shown the ability to pass the ball is accepted as a bad idea?

How long before the Pistons players stop shrugging off humiliating losses to inferior opponents (as often as it continues to happen)?

How long before the Pistons decide that it is in their best interest to snap a team’s neck when they’re down instead of launching 20 footers until the opponent finally obliges and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat?

How long before Saunders actually takes charge of in-game situations instead of making excuses after the fact about what he didn’t like or was hoping wouldn’t happen?

Yes folks…many many questions to be answered and only 4 playoff series (if they are lucky) to do so. I am a Pistons fan through and through, but much of what I saw this year leads me to believe that they will go down in a flaming heap much like last season. Heck, if they manage to squeeze by MIA or CHI in round two, they might just have an easier series against CLE (considering they don’t go back to triple teaming Lebron for the entire series and leaving half the Cavalier roster open under the basket) and wind up in the Finals. That said, I have no real confidence that this team will leave its lesser twin behind and soundly beat their Western Conference opponent. Actually, this team’s lack of a killer instinct, lax defensive efforts for long stretches, reliance on jump shots, lack of interior D, lack of paint scoring, and overall needless cockiness might just have them sitting in front of that big blue Pistons/Chevrolet backdrop shrugging their shoulders and making cliché excuses about being outplayed, chips falling where they may, just going cold, opponents getting hot at the right time, or wanting it more, or any other of myriad excuses for why they came up short.

Let’s hope they actually DO find that magic switch that they clearly are reaching for, but insist on telling us they don’t believe in and doesn’t exist.

It’s playoff time….get your caps! You don’t want co-workers laughing at your for the missing hair you will have voluntarily removed from your scalp.

Whatever it is, Pistons better find it quickly. Everything Roscoe talked about is coming to life time and time again. When they had Chicago down they take the foot of the pedal, launch crazy jump shots and stop playing defense. Now they are in deep and need to turn this thing around quicky.

Whatever it is, Pistons better find it quickly. Everything Roscoe talked about is coming to life time and time again. When they had Chicago down they take the foot of the pedal, launch crazy jump shots and stop playing defense. Now they are in deep and need to turn this thing around quicky.

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Actually, I wrote that....it's an ongoing column I've been doing for this forum and humanvictorycigar.com, courtesy, of course, of Roscoe and his many fine works.

Actually, I wrote that....it's an ongoing column I've been doing for this forum and humanvictorycigar.com, courtesy, of course, of Roscoe and his many fine works.

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Low, you're right on target with that. I just don't get it. Pistons are the only team talking about the switch. Do they feel they are so much better than all the other teams? It is somewhat mind boggling.

Low, you're right on target with that. I just don't get it. Pistons are the only team talking about the switch. Do they feel they are so much better than all the other teams? It is somewhat mind boggling.

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I really can't stand that attitude. That's one of the things that other posters hate, but I loved about LB. He would constantly knock these guys off their high horse when they got all "we know what we're doing" about things.

You can see it in the interviews, you can see it when they're warming up. They act like they'll win because they showed up and then there's always the brush off or the cliche excuses when they let a team up from the mat. If they don't get off to a quick start on Thurs. they may well lose and I have no faith in them come game 7 because they will have already worsened their chances in the ECF.

If they don't get off to a quick start on Thurs. they may well lose and I have no faith in them come game 7 because they will have already worsened their chances in the ECF.

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I think they've already achieved that goal. Thanks to the "switch", Sheed is 2 techs closer to sitting out a game of the NBA Finals. Whomever they play, I doubt that Rasheed being suspended for a game won't have an effect on the outcome.

I really can't stand that attitude. That's one of the things that other posters hate, but I loved about LB. He would constantly knock these guys off their high horse when they got all "we know what we're doing" about things.

You can see it in the interviews, you can see it when they're warming up. They act like they'll win because they showed up and then there's always the brush off or the cliche excuses when they let a team up from the mat. If they don't get off to a quick start on Thurs. they may well lose and I have no faith in them come game 7 because they will have already worsened their chances in the ECF.

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If I had to point to any single factor that has kept this Pistons team from reaching their potential since 2004 (and it's almost time to include this season) it's that switch-flipping, if it ain't rough it ain't right attitude that they sometimes bring to important games. I don't know if Chauncey is the worst offender, or if it just seems like it because he's so shameless about it. The dominating beat-anyone Good Pistons suddenly revert back to the sleepwalking no-defense Bad Pistons so quickly that you just have to wonder who these guys are sometimes.

If I had to point to any single factor that has kept this Pistons team from reaching their potential since 2004 (and it's almost time to include this season) it's that switch-flipping, if it ain't rough it ain't right attitude that they sometimes bring to important games. I don't know if Chauncey is the worst offender, or if it just seems like it because he's so shameless about it. The dominating beat-anyone Good Pistons suddenly revert back to the sleepwalking no-defense Bad Pistons so quickly that you just have to wonder who these guys are sometimes.

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That's the kicker, the fact that these guys smirk at the camera the whole time.

If for some reason the Bulls actually pull this one out The Low will be hailed as one of the greatest sports prophits of all time and the Sour Notes will go down in History like the Nostradamus quatrains.

If for some reason the Bulls actually pull this one out The Low will be hailed as one of the greatest sports prophits of all time and the Sour Notes will go down in History like the Nostradamus quatrains.

Something to think about.

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Yea, kinda like the constant switching that goes on in this forum (except of course, the easy course outline of "fire the coach").